A cut above
Meadow Lane, Saint Urban, Aldo Sohm, Leon & Son, Flannery Beef, best knives, MORE
WORK • Tuesday Routine
Wine maven
ALDO SOHM • wine director, Le Bernardin & Aldo Sohm Wine Bar • author, Wine Simple: Perfect Pairings
Neighborhood you work in: Midtown
Neighborhood you live in: Prospect Heights
It’s Tuesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My days typically begin by checking orders, inventory, and emails, making sure my cellars and team are prepared going into lunch service at Le Bernardin and Aldo Sohm Wine Bar. The scene is always chaotic, but in a good way. We take pride in focusing on our clients: from predicting the needs and preferences of the ones returning, to making sure we’re setting the stage for the first-timers, we always like to be two steps ahead. Mornings are my time to prepare and anticipate; afternoons and evenings are showtime.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I just finished an hour at the gym to have a peaceful mindset and be focused. Now, I’m running back and forth between both locations to make sure our teams are in place and nailing all steps of service. In case any problems arise, I try to be at two locations at the same time. With all of this, I hope to find a few minutes to test out a few new dishes with wines that I just brought in to see if they work for the wine pairings. Plus, I also just brought in two new wines we’re hoping to add to the wines-by-the-glass list at the wine bar.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
On days I’m working, I rarely have time for a meal. Tomorrow, on my bike ride in, depending on my mood, I may stop at Frenchette Bakery for a morning pastry; they have the best kouign-amann in the city. Sunday night, I may take my wife to Maison Passerelle, my friend chef Gregory Gourdet’s restaurant inside Printemps.
I have so many go-tos. Red Hook Tavern is such a homey place. I love the PEI mussels with spicy tomato broth and the dry-aged burger. For pizza: Lucali. I have the artichoke pizza and/or the calzone, then I’m in pizza heaven. Or I might head over to Nubeluz for a glass of Cava with some jamon Iberico before settling in for a Manhattan cocktail while taking in the beautiful views. And for weekend lunch, I look no further than Nougatine for the view of Central Park, a bottle of Champagne, and tuna tartare.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I just bought a brand new beautiful Dario Pegoretti bicycle. Wow, do I love that thing.
What NYC store or service do you love to recommend?
Leon & Son in Clinton Hill, one of the best wine stores in New York. It’s small but cutting-edge. Brooklyn Wine Exchange is another Brooklyn favorite of mine, and Crush is always a benchmark. Flatiron Wines has a wide selection and often has some rare, hard-to-find producers on the shelf, so that’s another favorite for me. And of course, Astor Wines & Spirits: one of the most prominent in NYC with a great liquor selection as well; just look at their agave section!
Where are you donating your time or money?
City Harvest. They’re constantly making a huge impact on New Yorkers in need.
WORK LINKS: Gaming board greenlights all 3 NYC casinos • How NYC is driving the office-to-residential boom • Life Time signs lease at Gowanus Wharf for massive fitness center • Big law bonanza: firms are going all in on office perks like saunas…bonus tracker.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Fast lane
Tribeca’s new buzzy grocery Meadow Lane drew lines around the block during its first weeks in business. But is it a functional neighborhood spot or just a pretty picture (and an East Coast Erewhannabe)?